State Government Being Pressured to Remove Time Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse Cases

By Spencer Howson
ABC Brisbane
May 11, 2016

http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2016/05/state-government-being-pressured-to-remove-time-limitations-on-child-sexual-abuse-cases.html

[with audio]

Child abuse survivors could soon be able to sue the institutions where they were molested - regardless of when they bring the case. In Queensland right now, you must take civil action by the age of 21 or lose all effective legal rights to compensation.

Of course the issue of time limits is hugely important for adults who have only recently come forward to speak about their abuse, some of them during the Royal Commission.

Last night, Communities Minister Shannon Fentiman hosted a forum in Brisbane for adults seeking justice for sexual abuse they experienced as children. The Minister isn't available to speak this morning but has sent through this statement:

"Last night I was pleased to announce the Palaszczuk Government is developing Common Guiding Principles to ensure it is a model litigant. The guidelines will set out a compassionate and consistent approach to civil litigation brought against the State by claimants who were sexually abused as children. We acknowledge this is just the first step in removing barriers to justice to survivors of child sexual abuse."

So how likely is a change to the law here? Bill Potts is the president of the Queensland Law Society and a practising criminal lawyer: